Shoe-string holder



2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

H. T. SMALL. sHoE STRING HOLDER.

No. 527,733.l Patented Oct. 16, 1894.

A r'romvfys.

UNITED STATES' PATENT OFFICE.

HENDERSON T. SMALL, OF CHANUTE, KANSAS.

sHoE-sTRlNG HoLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 527,733, dated October 16, 1894. Application filed April 27, 1893. Serial No. 472,053. (No model.)

To a/Zl witam, it may cancer-n,.-

- Be it known that I, HENDERsoN T. SMALL, of Chanute, in the county of Neosho and State of Kansas, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Shoe-StringHolders, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention is an improved shoe string holder and has for an object among others to provide a holder adapted to receive shoe strings in assorted kinds and sizes from which one or more may be withdrawn without disarranging the others also to form a convenient display rack for the strings, and to provide a receptacle for quantities of strings in bales or bundles and the invention consists in the special construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

- In the drawings-Figure 1 is aface view of a box or cabinet provided with my improvements. Fig. 2 is a sectional view thereof. Fig. 3 shows one of the string holders, and Figs. 4, 5 and 6 illustrate a somewhat different construction.

When a 4box or cabinet A is employed it maybe formed as shown with the rackvsecured within it'and having a compartment or portion B to receive bundles of strings and also provided with a suitable door O which may be glazed or decorated in any de'sired manner. As'shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the cabinet may also be provided below its compartment B with holders B' for insoles or other shoe findings.

The holder consists of a hookpor hanger E and a retainer F. The hook is preferably upturned at its outer end at e and is fixed at its inner end to the support. Near its outer end the opposite arms of the hook are bulged or bent outward at e' widening the space between them to receive the point of the retainer F. This retainer F is of wire and is arranged above the hook or hanger and is secured at f to the support and extends outward to a point above the widened portion e' of the hook when the arms of the retainer are bent downward and forward into the points within the widened portion e' of the hook, and the arms of the retainers are carried thence back resting close to the arms of the hook andthe doubled end f2 of the hook rests within a recess Z formed in the support thus bracing the retainer in position'andpermitting its lower arms to spring toward and from those of the hook. In practice the laces are applied to the hook and slipped under the retainer between the same and the hook when any one lace or string may be readily removed without disturbing any of the others.

These holders may be used singly when it is only desired to keep a few laces in stock and in such cases they may be nailed or other- Wise secured to the wall but it is preferred to arrange them in a cabinet and in series as shown in Figs. l and 2 so that the strings may be kept in assorted lots.

In the construction shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6 the retainers are shown below the hooks and in line below the space between the adjacent hooks and arranged as shown to retain such laces as are not positively drawn off.V While in this construction the retainers are preferably of wire as shown in Figs. 4 and 5 it is obvious they may be of spring strips as shown in Fig. 6.

In the construction shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6 the points or projections of the adjacent retainers are arranged close together or abutting but they may slightly lap, the intention being that they shall offer a resistance to'the removal of the strings and yet permit the forcible removal of any one or more so that the desired string or strings may be removed without displacing the others.

Manifestly the support for the hooks and the retainers may be walls or the door of the box or cabinet or such support may be in the nature of strips which may be secured to shelving, to walls or other constructions as desired.

In use the strings are hung over the hooks and extend down between the retainers. When it is desired to remove a string from the holder shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6, it may be grasped at one end, drawn forward from between the retainers, and passed over the upwardly curved portions of the hook When it may be drawn out without danger of disarranging those remaining on the holder.

The purpose of the hangers and retainers is to vprovide a holder for a number of shoe strings so that one at a time maybe removed IOO from the bunch without snarling those that remain. This is accomplished by the retainers exerting a tension in such manner as to resist the withdrawal of the strings and yet permit them to be drawn out by force so that tone string may be forcibly withdrawn frorn the bunch without displacing the others.

In removing the strings from the construction shown in Fig. 1 any particular string may be taken by one end and drawn forward, then passed transversely in front of the retainer when it Will be drawn down into the space between the inclined front end of the retainer and then by drawing on said string it will be caused to pass back under the retainer and between the same and the hook until it escapes from the tension of said retainer and is freed. This is accomplished in practice without snarling any of the strings that remam.

Having thus described my invention, what I clailn as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A holder for laces substantially as described, comprising the hook having its outer end upturned and spread or widened adjacent to said end and the retainer overlying the hook and having at its outer end a` plurality of points projecting within the widened portion of the hook all su bstantially as set forth.

2. A lace holding apparatus substantially as described com prisin g the row of hooks having their outer ends upturned and formed with sides or arms and the row of retainers arranged above the hooks and having near their outer ends points or projections projected into the plane of the space between the sides or arms of the hooks substantially as set forth.

3. A holder for laces substantially as described com prising a row of hangers and a row of retainers, one row overlying the other, the several parts of one row being formed near their outer ends with widened portions and the several parts of the other row being formed near their outer ends with points or projections arranged with respect to the widened portions of the other row, substantially as shown and described whereby the strings will be held at each side of the hook and maybe released by drawing one end forward off one side of the hook then over the point of the hook and then ofi the other side of the hook as and for the purposes specified.

4. An improved string holder substantially as described comprising the support, the hook or hanger formed of wire secured at one end to said support and having its other end adapted to receive the strings and the retainer formed of spring metal secured at one end to the support extended thence out approximately parallel to the hook or hanger and having its outer end arranged in close proximity to that of the hook and adapted to secure the strings thereon all substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. An improved string holder consisting of the hook or hanger and the retainer formed of spring Wire seonred at one end to a suitable support extended theuceoutward over the hook and having a return spring portion extending inwardly over the hook and free at its inner end, substantially as set forth.

6. In a string holder, the combination of the support having a recessed seat in its face, the hook or hanger and the retainer seoured at one end to the support extended thence outward and having a returned portion which projects at its in ner end into the recessed seat of the support, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. The improved string holder consisting of the support having a recessed seatin its face, the hook having its outer end upturned and spread or widened adjacent to said end, the retainer secured at one end to the support extended thence outward over the hook having at its outer end depending points projecting within the widened portion of the hook and having a return portion extending from said points inward and fitting at its inner free end in the recessed seat of the support, substantially as set forth.

8. A holder for laces comprising the hook or hanger formed with sides or arms and the retainer one of said parts overlyng the other and the retainer being formed with opposite portions which project into the plane of the 'space between the sides of the hook or hanger substantially as set forth.

HENDERSON T. SMALL. Witnesses:

B. F. SHINN, E. P. BURRIs. 

